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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. court — of law
  3. chest — of your body
  4. rash — a series
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. suit — clothes
  7. root — of a plant
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. suit — in cards
  10. cell — a phone
  11. chest — a box
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. foot — a measure
  14. suit — to fit
  15. rush — hurry
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. root — the cause
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. cell — in biology
  21. court — for sport
  22. chest — of your body
  23. court — of a king
  24. rash — hasty

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com